Post on 19-Aug-2018
Dearest Members and Friends,
Last month, if you were visiting Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, you would have witnessed an astonishing sight. Every January, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebrates a festival called Timkat, during which their senior priests parade through the streets of Ethiopia's capital carrying a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, as onlookers drop to their knees in reverence. This obscure branch of Christianity has approximately 50 million adherents, most of whom live in Ethiopia. Aside for this sect’s curious affinity to the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish practices—evident in their observance of kosher laws, separation of the sexes in their churches, and the treatment of Saturday as Sabbath rather than Sunday—they also make the extraordinary claim that the Ark of the Covenant, Judaism’s most revered object, is in their possession, and has been for almost 3,000 years.
The current location of the Ark, first described in the Torah portion of Terumah (Ex. 25:11-23), has long been a subject of fascination for religious believers and archeological adventurers, most famously portrayed in the 1981 movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which the intrepid archeology professor, Indiana Jones, competes against Nazis and supernatural forces in a swashbuckling escapade to find this ancient treasure.
Jewish tradition on this topic is uncertain. Tosefta, a Talmudic work compiled in the second century C.E., offers two accounts of the Ark’s fate. In the first, King Josiah of Judah secreted the Ark away, along with several other sacred relics, in order to prevent their theft by Babylonian invaders, who would doubtless have taken them back to Babylon after destroying Jerusalem’s First Temple. The second account suggests that this is exactly what happened—the Ark was removed to Babylon, never to return. Meanwhile, the second Book of Maccabees contains another version of the story; in this account, the prophet Jeremiah concealed the Ark on Mount Nebo, vowing that the location would remain a secret “until God finally gathers his people together and shows them mercy.” (2 Macc. 2:7)
It is certainly the case that the Ark was missing from the Second Temple, and there is no record of anyone being aware of its location in contemporary documents or traditions. Of course, none of this prevented countless dubious claims of its discovery over the years, the most recent one in 1982, by Ron Wyatt (1933-1999), an eccentric amateur archaeologist and Seventh Day Adventist, who proudly proclaimed to have found the Ark buried in a cave under the remains of the old city of Jerusalem. Intriguingly, he was the only one to see it, and claimed to have revisited it several times.
But the assertions of the Ethiopian Church far outstrip Wyatt’s tantalizing story. These faithful Christians believe the Ark of the Covenant was taken from Jerusalem 3000 years ago, to a place called Aksum, in northern Ethiopia, where it has remained ever since, housed in a small unassuming church, and zealously guarded by the monks of Saint Mary of Zion. The story has its origins in an ancient text called Kebra Negast, which begins with the story of the Queen of Sheba, who traveled from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to benefit from King Solomon’s wisdom, and gave birth to his son on the way home. This son, named Menelik, later visited his father, and returned with a group of Israelite princes who had stolen the Ark without his knowledge, and taken it with them to Ethiopia. When Menelik discovered the theft, he decided to keep the Ark rather than return it—hence its presence in Aksum.
No one besides for a designated guardian is ever allowed to see this “Ark”. In 2007, reporter Paul Raffaele of the Smithsonian spent considerable time in Ethiopia in an attempt to gain access to the vault where the purported Ark is kept. But after countless adventures he was thwarted at the eleventh hour by the impassive guardian, and found himself unable to “judge whether the Ark of the Covenant truly rested inside this nondescript chapel”, or not. Determined not to be disappointed, he decided “that simply being in the presence of this eternal mystery was a fitting ending to my quest.” One must presume that keeping the “Ark” from prying eyes has less to do with religious dogma, and far more to do with this relic’s dubious provenance, with the fear that scientific testing will show that whatever it is, it certainly cannot be the Ark of the Covenant.
Jewish tradition has never obsessed about religious relics, and has no particular interest in the Ark’s location, only in its symbolism. Various commentaries find it significant that the Ark’s measurements include half cubits, unlike all the other Temple vessels, whose measurements were rounded off to whole numbers. Rabbi Jacob ben Asher (1269-1343) proposes that this anomaly is a reference to the Ark’s contents—the sacred Tablets of Sinai and a Torah scroll, symbolic of a Torah scholar—and conveys the idea that a Torah scholar must always remain humble and see himself as only halfway there on the journey to his full potential.
Another lesson is learned from the poles used to transport the Ark. The Torah instructs for these poles never to be removed from the rings that held them in place (Ex. 25:15). Even though the other Temple vessels had rings and poles to transport them, this prohibition against pole removal only applied to the Ark. The commentaries explain that the poles for the other vessels were there purely for transportation purposes, while the poles of the Ark represent those who value and support Torah. It is imperative for Torah scholars supported by others to remember that they must never discard those who support them. These supporters are and will always remain a critical component of Torah preservation for the Jewish nation. Not only must they never be removed from the Ark, but they remain alongside it in the most sacred space of the Temple—the Holy of Holies—a fitting tribute to their commitment towards our sacred tradition.
Wishing you Shabbat Shalom and a great week ahead, Rabbi Pini Dunner
2 Adar ● Parshat Terumah February 16-17, 2018
Hart & Debbie Cohen for
sponsoring Seudah Shlishit in
memory of Hart’s father, David
Cohen, David ben Chaim
Menachem HaCohen z”l whose yahrtzeit is on 2 Adar.
SHABBAT SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, FEBRAURY 16 5:20pm CANDLELIGHTING 5:25pm MINCHA/KABBALAT SHABBAT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 8:30am RABBI’S GEMARA SHIUR 9:15am SHACHARIT
4:50pm PRE-MINCHA SHIUR
5:25pm MINCHA
5:45pm SEUDAH SHLISHIT
6:25pm MAARIV
6:29pm SHABBAT ENDS
YOUTH GROUP SCHEDULE Shabbat
10:00 Free play, games & books. 10:40 Snack time, Parsha story & questions 11:10 Into shul to kiss the Torah Circle time - davening, singing, Shabbat songs & games. (Ping pong, foosball, basketball) 11:30 Kids service ends
Weekday Davening Times Sun. February 18 8:00am & 5:20pm
Mon. February 19 6:20am & 5:20pm
Tues. February 20 6:30am & 5:20pm
Wed. February 21 6:30am & 5:20pm
Thurs. February 22 6:20am & 5:20pm
Fri. February 23 6:30am & 5:20pm
—Save The Dates—
Mon, Feb. 19th– Wed, Feb. 21st Clothing Drive Drop Off. Between
9:30am-5:30pm. See page 3 for more info.
Friday, February 23rd
Deadline to Sign up for Mishloach Manot
Shabbat, Feb. 24th
Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Sostchen. Kiddush
sponsored by David and Allison
Sostchen.
Wednesday, Feb. 28th—Thurs, March 1
Purim! Megillah Reading and Purim
Seudah. See Purim Seudah Details on
page 3.
Shabbat, March 3rd
Teen Minyan led by Chazzan Nati Baram
The Sisterhood proudly presents the following upcoming events!
*See flyers for additional info
FEBRUARY
Mishloach Manot Packing
Tuesday, February 27th
10am at YINBH
We need volunteers for packing
and delivering!
Please sign up for this big Mitzvah!
MARCH Sir Moses Montefiore: Jewish
history’s most famous philanthropist
With Rabbi Dunner Monday, March 12th
8pm at YINBH
Shabbat Shalom!
Cecile & Ruthie
Sisterhood Co-Presidents
Sisterhood Corner
EXPLORING HALACHA Join Nati Baram every Shabbat
afternoon 35 minutes before mincha as he explores an
interesting topic of Jewish law with the aid of ancient and
contemporary texts.
Join Rabbi Dunner for his
Gemara shiur on Shabbat
morning at 8:30 am. We are
studying Masechet Brachot
לע''נ פנחס אליהו בן שמשון הלוי
Paul Feder z’’l Gemara Shiur
Larry Garshofsky Samuel Hodara
Hart Cohen Lielle Louie
Abraham Czuker Dana Mauger
Samantha Cohen
The weekly Insights into the Parsha Shiur for ladies will not meet next week, but will resume on Wednesday, February 28th at
8:30am.
Shiur for Ladies
We welcome 3 guest rabbis
from Maimonides Academy :
Rabbi David Mahler,
Judaic Studies Principal
Rabbi Aharon Wilin,
Head of School
Rabbi Baruch Kupfer,
Executive Director
Rabbi Mahler will be delivering
the Shabbat drasha in Rabbi
Dunner’s absence
Next Shabbat...
Shervin & Yasmine
LOUIE
Joseph & Galina
SAMUEL
Rose Block Shoshana bat David a”h
Mother of Eva Feldberg
Yahrtzeit—4 Adar
Bea Barnehama Bracha a”h
Mother of Joel Barnehama Yahrtzeit—2 Adar
Mohtaram Soroudi Mahtaram bat Haim Yitzchak
a”h Mother of
Behrouz Soroudi Yahrtzeit—4 Adar
AVAILABLE TO MEET
If you would like to arrange a
meeting with Rabbi Dunner or
Chazan Baram, please call the
office to make an appointment
Rabbi Dunner is generally
available Mondays from 1-3pm
and Wednesdays from 10am-1pm.
Chazan Baram is generally
available Monday, Wed, & Thurs
from 3-5pm.
David Cohen David ben Chaim Menachem
HaCohen z”l Father of
Hart Cohen Yahrtzeit—2 Adar
Taanit Esther, Wednesday February 28th Fast begins 5:08 am Shacharit 6:15 am
With Selichot and Kriyat HaTorah Mincha (with Kriyat HaTorah) 5:35 pm
Maariv 6:25pm Fast Ends 6:28pm
Megillat Esther 6:30pm
Purim, Thursday March 1st Shacharit 6:15 am
Megillat Esther 6:45 am SECOND MEGILLA READING 9:00 am Mincha 4:45 pm
Seudat Purim - Now taking RSVPS! 5:00 pm
Maariv 7:30 pm
This Purim as in past years, I will be distributing the
money raised from our membership to Matanot
La’evyonim for needy families here in Los Angeles and
in Jeruslam. Please donate by sending a check or paying
online with a credit card. Please note that the payment
should be marked “Matanot La’evyonim” so we can keep a
running total and ensure that all the money is distributed on
Purim. The collection will be continuing until Purim
morning.
With Many Thanks,
Rabbi Pini Dunner
MATANOT LA’EVYONIM
PURIM SCHEDULE
Mazal Tov to our members George & Irina Schaeffer who
were honored at the Israel Bonds Prime Minister’s Club
Dinner last Sunday, February 11th in Miami, FL.
Photo Credit: Peter Halmagyi
This Year’s Banquet Features…
Gourmet Kosher Cuisine
Raffle for a C-Class Mercedes Benz
Celebrating Israel’s 70th Birthday
Vintage Car Collection on display
VIP Access to the Petersen Vault
Multiple sponsorship opportunities available
Interactive Car Racing Simulation Game with trophy award
Tribute to the Palmach
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Visit bhsbanquet.com
BANQUET DONATIONS AND RSVPS THIS WEEK
Dennis & Edith Berger
Harry Finkel & Shirley Aizenstein
Jerry & Jean Friedman
Selwyn & Glynis Gerber
Michael & Alona Horowitz
Sam & Diana Hirt
Hillel & Ruthie Kellerman
Ezra & Lauren Kest
Stuart & Frank Miller
Stephen & Rosalyn Rothman
Farmarz & Sheilagh Sadeghi
Moshe & Helen Sassover
Bill & Joan Lopatin
Stephen Schloss & Ruth Low
David & Michele Silver
Norman & Virginia Solomon
Barton & Arleen Tanenbaum
Rabbi Kalman & Jordana Topp